Mary Sagen, aged 101 years, passed away peacefully at Oliver Lodge in Saskatoon, Sask. Monday, January 25, 2016.
Mary was born December 12, 1914 to Sam and Anna Horbach in the little village of Ochrimovitz in western Ukraine. She immigrated with her family to Canada in 1928 and settled in Redfield, Saskatchewan.
On November 23, 1939 she married Mike Sagen. They lived and farmed in the Kenaston area. They were a devoted couple and enjoyed over 58 years of marriage. Mary loved farming and was always interested in it, even the many years she was no longer on the farm. She was no stranger to hard work and could always be counted on to help Mike whenever he needed. Her big, well cared for garden was always one of her pleasures and she continued to garden well into her 90s. But nothing gave Mary more pleasure than people. Her hospitality was well known and no one ever left her home without being well fed and having coffee. Mary’s perogies were the best!
With Mike’s help, Mary taught herself to read. This was an accomplishment she was very proud of. She often spoke of how happy she was that she learned to read. Her Bible was certainly a well read book and you could see that just by looking at it. Her reading of the Scriptures and her long time association with Jehovah’s Witnesses helped her gain a knowledge of her Creator and faith in his promises for a better world.
Mary was predeceased by her husband Mike, her sister Dora, her brothers Bill, Ray and Pete. Mary is survived by her sister Jean Pidwerbesky, sister-in-law Mary (Jim) Maynard and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mary was loved and will be missed by many. She will be remembered by all who knew her as a generous, loving and wonderful lady.
A funeral service will be held for Mary at Kenaston Place, Kenaston, Saskatchewan on Feb. 8, 2016 at 2 p.m.
Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson in care of arrangements.
Schmit, Gwendolyn Berne February 12, 1928 — January 28, 2016
Berne Schmit passed away in the Davidson Health Centre in the late afternoon of Jan. 28. Born in Young, Sask., Berne was the second oldest child born to Maitland and Muriel (Easson) Blachford of the Colonsay/Zelma district.
Mom took her early schooling at Colonsay and Ardath schools. Upon graduation she went on to take nurse’s training at the St. Paul’s Hospital School of Nursing, Saskatoon, graduating in 1949. From there she attended the St. Paul’s Hospital School of Nursing, Vancouver, receiving a post-graduate certificate in surgery in 1950.
Her nursing career took her to many locations including the Vancouver General Hospital, Weyburn General Hospital, Davidson Union Hospital and then to the Saskatoon City Hospital before again returning to Davidson.
Back at Davidson, she met Bob Schmit and they were married April 7, 1953 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Saskatoon. She and Bob had three children — Laurie, Jim and Denise.
There were many high points in her nursing career, which included being employed as a nurse specialist with Dr. Crosby, a Regina cardiologist flying to various points in Canada and the U.S. to perform surgeries. She was also involved in the planning and layout of the surgical suites in the original 1954 portion of the Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon. She later made an application to work in the U.S., but stayed in Canada to look after her mother’s health. Most of all, she enjoyed working in the Saskatoon Public Health Region as a public health nurse covering various rural municipalities and points along Highways 2, 11 and 19.
Berne continued to work on and off at the Davidson Hospital as she and Bob raised their family. In the summer of 1967, she began working full-time as a public health nurse, retiring in May of 1985.
Mom was involved in the community as a member of the Davidson Library Board and the Davidson Prairie View Lodge Board, but most of all she was a compassionate person helping who she could at any time when needed.
Berne was sports-minded, known to play hockey at a young age to playing ball, tennis, bowling, curling and golfing. The love of golf brought home many prizes and many stories. In later years she closely followed sports on television.
Mom also liked to travel – both driving and flying. She visited many points in Canada, the U.S. and beyond, including trips to places like Hawaii, Las Vegas, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Barbados and Jamaica.
Berne enjoyed working on the farm, but most of all enjoyed being outside in the yard and fresh air. The trees, lawns and flowers at the old farm north of Davidson certainly attested to this.
In December of 2003, Bob and Berne moved off the farm and into town. Here she continued to enjoy golf and yard work. As time went on she found herself dedicating more time to caring for Bob and then eventually to her diminishing health. She was able to actively golf into her 87th year. Up until the end she cherished her time with friends, family and enjoyed the occasional outing to the casino.
Berne is survived by her children Laurie, Jim (Allison) and Denise (Lonnie); grandchildren Kelly (Kenny), Rob (Sharmayne) and Kiel; extended family Josh, Melissa and Mykaila; great-grandchildren Blake, Nolan, Evhan, Kacie and Rylyn; Rhyder and Braylee as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; her sister Pat (Keith); her brothers Laurie (Irene), Cam (Donyan), Ian (Barbara), and Bruce (Marline); brother-in-law Doug (Inez) and sister-in-law Betty.
She was predeceased by her husband Bob in 2012, her sister Joan in 2004, her parents, and various in-laws.
At Berne’s request there will be no funeral or memorial service. A celebration of life is tentatively planned for the May 7 weekend. An announcement outlining details will be placed into The Davidson Leader prior to that date.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Berne may be directed to the Davidson Golf and Country Club or the Davidson EMS Equipment Fund with cheques made payable to the Town of Davidson.
Sinnett, Reginald October 24, 1948 — January 5, 2016
It is with great sadness, we announce the sudden passing of our father, grandfather, brother and friend. He will be lovingly remembered and missed by his daughters Nicole Davis (Mike), Leanne Sinnett and grandchildren Mackenzie and Danica Davis along with his brothers and sisters. A family celebration will be held in the summer.
SASKATOON — One after the other, their statements told the story.
Her parents, partner, siblings, other relatives and friends — 15 in total — took the stand in a Saskatoon courtroom on Tuesday to share their memories of Danille Kerpan, and the void left in their lives by her sudden death.
Kerpan, 25, was killed instantly in a collision on Highway 11 on Oct. 10, 2014, when her vehicle was struck by a northbound truck in the wrong lane near Bladworth.
The man driving that truck — John Koch, 50 — was later found to have a blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit.
Koch, who had entered a guilty plea on Jan. 7, was sentenced Tuesday to a four-year prison term, followed by a seven-year prohibition from driving.
In his victim impact statement, Danille’s father Allan — a former MP and MLA — said his past public speaking had not prepared him for the speech he had to make in court that day.
He said his words were not sufficient to illustrate the pain he has felt since he and his wife were awakened by a police officer, delivering the news of their daughter’s death.
Despite being complimented for his strength, Allan said, “The truth is I am not strong at all. I have to almost clinically remove myself from the situation in order to function.”
He spoke of the harsh reality of having to write a cheque for his daughter’s memorial service instead of her wedding, or of knowing he would never walk her down the aisle or hold her babies.
Melanie Kerpan spoke of the guilt she has felt in recalling the night her daughter died. Earlier that day, she had travelled to Saskatoon, had supper with her daughters and then went shopping for paint with Danille.
“If she hadn’t stayed with me in Saskatoon, she might still be here,” said Melanie, also describing the pain of having to tell her other children about the collision.
“Being a mom to Danille and her siblings is the best gift I’ve ever been given,” she said in her conclusion, “and even death can’t take that away.”
A statement read on behalf of Danille’s partner, Rylan Dezotell, described the future the two had planned together, and the devastating impact her death has had on him. He wrote about how they had purchased, renovated and furnished their home.
“Together we had picked out an engagement ring,” he wrote. “That was by far the happiest day of my life — and returning it was the worst . . . especially when they asked why I was returning it.”
Koch also read an apology letter to the family, in which he spoke of his enduring guilt: “Because of me, your daughter was taken from you. I wish it was me instead.”
While the Crown and defence agreed on a four-year prison sentence, the Crown argued for a 10-year driving prohibition. Judge Sanjeev Anand agreed on an extended prohibition, imposing a seven-year ban.
Allan Kerpan said the experience of the sentencing had brought back the level of grief he had experienced in the aftermath of Danille’s death. In the words of his son Josh, he said, he felt as though he had “regressed.”
He also said he was proud of Danille’s relatives and friends for agreeing to make their statements. The day was an exhausting experience for himself and his family, he said, but they were encouraged by the results.
Kerpan said he and Melanie are continuing discussions with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) about potential projects, including a large-scale provincial memorial or smaller roadside memorials at accident sites.
He also said the extended driving prohibition — which was twice the average penalty — was a positive sign that attitudes are changing.
“It looks like they’re going to start to take it a little more seriously,” said Allan. “I think people are starting to say ‘enough’s enough’.”
Craik’s public compost bins were removed last week due to ongoing abuse of the program, officials said.
By Joel van der Veen
CRAIK — Unwelcome items dropped off at Craik’s community compost bins had included everything but the kitchen sink — until last weekend, that is.
An employee of Titan Clean Energy Projects discovered a kitchen sink inside one of the bins over the weekend, along with a pile of plastic sheets.
It was the last straw for the compost program, which has been made available free of charge to Craik and area residents for the past six years.
Titan office manager Michele Kiss confirmed that the company, the town and the Craik Sustainable Living Project (CSLP) had agreed to end the program last week.
Kiss said that abuse of the bins — including a high volume of non-compostable items, such as bicycles, weights and furniture — had been an ongoing problem.
“We don’t want it to become a dumping ground for everything under the sun,” she said.
Kiss also observed that some users were leaving their yard waste outside the bins, rather than depositing them inside, creating more work as well as a potential eyesore.
The project had begun around 2010 as an initiative between the CSLP and multiple partners, including Waste Management, which provided the bins and transported the material, and Titan, which processed it into compost.
The initial goal was to divert as much organic waste as possible from the Craik landfill. Titan had agreed to accept the material for processing, and composted material was made available for community spaces and personal use.
For most of the project’s history, there were two bins — one for yard waste and the other for kitchen scraps — situated on Crossford Avenue near Titan’s company site.
The project was successful in its early years, with almost 10,000 kg of material collected up to June 2011, according to the CSLP website. However, Kiss said the volume of acceptable compost, particularly kitchen waste, had declined over time.
With items like plastic bags winding up in the bins, Titan would need to use screening equipment to sort the material, adding more time and expense to the process.
Titan, the town and the CSLP had discussed the issue last year, and a note was included in a recent town newsletter reminding residents that the bins were for compost only.
Kiss said part of the decline may be due to more people starting to compost on their own, noting, “Backyard composting is becoming more popular.”
She called it “unfortunate” that the program couldn’t continue, adding that sustainability has been something of a raison d’etre for Craik over the last decade and a half.
Craik administrator Sarah Wells confirmed that the town had received an email from Titan on Monday about the situation. By Thursday, the bins had been removed.
Wells also said the program’s demise would be unwelcome news for the people who were still using it, but she understood why it was happening.
“It’s a shame,” she said. “People abuse stuff like that, and it’s gotta go.”
Helen Fontaine leads a group of curlers, under the direction of Amber Holland, as they practise sweeping during a Jan. 22 clinic.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Newbies and veteran curlers alike had the opportunity to learn from the pros at a clinic held in Davidson last weekend.
A total of 22 people registered for the two-hour adult clinic, held the evening of Jan. 22 at the Communiplex curling rink.
While social leagues are growing and more people in their 20s and 30s are taking up the sport, organizers are still working to grow the sport, said Susan Lang, development and market manager for CURLSASK.
“If we don’t do this, we’re not going to have a sport in 20 years,” she said, adding that longtime players were also finding the clinics beneficial.
Lang was one of three instructors leading on Friday night, along with Travis Brown and 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Amber Holland.
“Everybody was really eager to try something new,” said Lang. “We try to keep these low-key . . . People strive to improve, but it’s not boot camp.”
The clinic focused on basic skills like sliding, throwing and brushing. Participants were divided up into three groups based on experience level.
For newer curlers, Lang said the sliding is often the most challenging part, although those who have skated or skied in the past may pick it up more quickly.
“The flexibility that’s involved in curling is deceptive,” she said, “as is the requirement for good balance.”
Lang said it can be daunting for new Canadians who haven’t spent time on ice surfaces before, adding, “Not everyone’s a skater, skiier, snowboarder-type of person.”
With that in mind, instructors have developed exercises to help develop that flexibility and balance, as well as prop rocks that can be used in training.
“We saw a big improvement in an hour and a half tonight,” said Lang. “We sort of strip it down to the bare basics . . . We want people to succeed.”
CURLSASK offers clinics targeted at different age groups. Lang said they have found that adults are less likely to take lessons, so organizers seek to make it as comfortable as possible.
For the full story, please see the Feb. 1 edition of The Davidson Leader.
